Ten years later

Lin Ziqing still remembers the scene when he first met Li Yuan.

Lin Ziqing was born in a family of gentry in Shenzhou in the north. Although he was not as rich and powerful as a wealthy family, his family also had thousands of acres of fertile land, and he was usually well-clothed and well-fed.

He was enlightened early, and his master always praised him for his intelligence when he was studying.After hearing this, the father happily hugged him on his knees, and told his mother that this son will surely shine in the family in the future.He heard this a lot, even when he was young, he thought that his life should be like this, studying, promoting Jinshi, becoming an official, and honoring his ancestors.

But at that time, he didn't understand the meaning of the impermanence of heaven, and he didn't understand that accidents may happen at any time.

The winter when he was ten years old was extremely cold, and in that winter, Dian Furen's iron hooves crushed all his fantasies about the future.

The house where he lived since he was a child was burned down by the fire that soared into the sky.The stern father, the loving mother, the kind uncle, and the relatives who can see every day all died under the cold butcher's knife.

The heavy door of the warehouse was knocked open, and all the countless gold, silver and jewels inside were snatched away; the jade-like white porcelain became fragments that no one cares about, reflecting a bleak light in the firelight; Calligraphy and paintings were scattered on the ground, and I don't know how many times they were trampled on, leaving countless dark red footprints, which is shocking.

Lin Ziqing, who was hidden among the water wengs by his mother, could not escape the disaster in the end.The moment he was found by Dian Furen, he heard the cries, screams, laughter, footsteps, the sound of weapons hitting, the sound of knives cutting into flesh, and the sound of wood burning in the flames. The place I am in is not the world, but purgatory.

On that night of blood and fire, life finally tore away its gentle disguise and showed him a ferocious face.

He was taken captive and enslaved by aliens.There is endless homework every day, and the poems and books I read in the past seem to be useless.The intelligence praised by his master has turned into calculating people's hearts. No one around him has not been used by him, but only in this way can he survive in the bitter cold place.

After three years like this, the imperial court finally dispatched troops to recover Shenzhou after several victories.

He didn't know this at the time, and only remembered that he was taken to the camp of the march.A young general in Mingguang armor looked down at him, frowned, then cut off the shackles he was wearing with a sword, and said softly to him, "Go home."

All kinds of sudden changes made Lin Ziqing at a loss.He was stunned for a while before he came back to his senses, and kept saying, "Thank you, General."

The general frowned, put his sword back into its sheath, but there was no trace of disgust in his eyes, and corrected him: "My name is Duke." This person was Li Yuan who had just inherited the title of Duke Cheng and went north to Lingzhou. At the age of 16, he led the army for the first time.

Hearing that Lin Ziqing changed his words, he nodded in satisfaction, and said to Lin Ziqing in a gentle tone: "It's such a cold day, you can't dress like this." Lin Ziqing put it on.

Lin Ziqing raised his head, and Li Yuan, who had taken off his hood, showed a clear face, unbelievably young.He didn't know whether the armor of the man in front of him reflected the snow or the sun's light, it was so bright that he couldn't look directly at it.

"You..." Li Yuan's deep and helpless voice rang in his ears, "Jiulang didn't have such a big reaction like you."

Only then did Lin Ziqing come to his senses, this matter was indeed absurd.But Li Yuan is still there, so what if it is absurd, and what if it goes against the sky.

As long as Li Yuan is still here.

He took a deep breath, stood up slowly, and became the person who always had a three-point smile at any time.Looking around again, Li Lian had already retreated.In the huge room, there were only him and Li Yuan.

He cupped his hands at Li Yuan and said, "Ziqing is innocent, please forgive me."

Seeing that Lin Ziqing had returned to normal, Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, and jokingly said with a smile: "I just said, the beauty is in the bone but not in the skin. Look at you, it has hardly changed at all."

But Lin Ziqing shook his head, and replied: "Guogong misrepresented, the willows are old early in the morning, it's hard to get into the eyes of the duke." There are dots of white hair on his temples, and it's not an exaggeration to say that the pu willows are prematurely aging.

Li Yuan didn't answer his words, and deliberately said: "I told you just now, and now I have been named the king of Yan, so I forgot it so soon."

Lin Ziqing was in extreme shock at that time, after knowing that the person in front of him was Li Yuan, he didn't listen to anything.It's not that I forgot, it's that I didn't remember at all.He lowered his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes, and replied, "It's the minister who made a slip of the tongue."

"You," Li Yuan tapped his forehead with his hand, feeling a little helpless.

Lin Ziqing looked up into Li Yuan's eyes, and Li Yuan also looked at him.The four eyes met, and they were speechless for a moment.

There were so many questions and things they wanted to say, but they didn't know where to start.

It was Lin Ziqing who spoke first: "Just now, Ziqing remembered the first time I saw you again."

Li Yuan followed him and said, "Is this the first time? At that time, you were a thin and small person, but you were very courageous."

Lin Ziqing immediately understood that what Li Yuan said was actually their second meeting.

Although he was rescued at that time and Shenzhou was recovered, his family was gone long ago, and he still had a way to support himself.So he took the money that Li Yuan left him, and took a caravan to Lingzhou, which can barely be called a "prosperous" place in the northern border.

He originally wanted to find a master to be an apprentice, learn a craft and earn a living.But God failed to fulfill his wish, knocking on countless doors, and none of them were willing to take such a thin apprentice like him who couldn't work at first glance.After hearing that he had been taken captive by Dianfu people, some people closed the door directly, and some even wanted to let the vicious dogs drive him away.

In order to survive, he had no choice but to become a slave.

It just so happened that Cheng Guogong's mansion purchased servants. These nobles used to use their families to give birth to children, and they would not easily recruit people from outside.But Li Yuan was in a hurry when he went north, and he had to take care of his widowed mother and younger brother, so he only cared about taking away his confidants, and had to wait until Lingzhou to buy the rest.

For many people, including him, there is no better job to enter the Duke's Mansion.This kind of noble family will not treat the servants harshly, and after a few years of work, they will be matched with a marriage when they are old. "The seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's gate", the people of the Duke's Mansion, even if they are of humble origin, are more dignified than ordinary civilians in Lingzhou City.

Li Yuan is in a high position, but he still has a youthful heart, so he insisted on going to see it with the steward of the mansion that day.

When Lin Ziqing saw Li Yuan again, he was being picked and picked like a piece of goods. No, he was a piece of goods, and it was not very valuable.

He recognized the dazzling Li Yuan with just one glance, but Li Yuan had no interest in him.

If it was said that he just wanted to enter the Duke's mansion just to get a job, then after knowing that Cheng Guogong was the general who saved him, he had another thought. He longed to be closer to Li Yuan, closer to Li Yuan. Just a few.

The manager next to him held his arm, and bargained with Ren Yazi in disgust: "With such thin arms and legs, you can't do much work when you buy it back."

Ren Yazi hurriedly apologized with a smile: "It will be better in two years when you grow up."

"The bones are small." The steward squeezed his arm again, shook his head and said, "It won't grow much."

Ren Yazi suddenly turned his head away, turned his gaze from Li Yuan, and boasted to the steward: "Look at this kid's face, I have dealt with so many people here, and this face is the best. "

The steward took a sip on the ground and said, "Do you think the Duke's mansion is Goulanyuan? Are you still looking to buy people?"

Li Yuan raised his eyebrows, and suddenly took a look here.

Sensing Li Yuan's gaze, Lin Ziqing suddenly gained courage and shouted at him: "I have studied and can do many things."

It may be that no one has ever dared to make such a rude and bold move towards Li Yuan. Li Yuan suddenly became interested and approached him.The steward who was standing aside hastily stepped forward and explained his identity to Li Yuan.

Instead of showing disgust like the others, Li Yuan just looked him up and down and asked, "Can Dian Fu speak?"

Lin Ziqing nodded fiercely, Dianfu language is relatively simple, after listening to it for three years, he naturally learned it.

Li Yuan showed a little smile, and said in a voice like the sound of nature: "I want this person, and I will send it to the study after it is done."

In this way, he was able to stay with Li Yuan for many years.

Lin Ziqing was immersed in the past, bowed his head and remained silent.But Li Yuan obviously misunderstood, thinking that he couldn't let go of the embarrassment at that time, and comforted him: "I shouldn't mention these things. After so many years, just forget the bad things."

Indeed, the first two meetings between him and Li Yuan should not be pleasant memories.But because Li Yuan was among them, he couldn't bear to forget it.